We have something new for the 2025 NRL season. With last season's final table acting as a starting order, each week we will move teams up, down or nowhere at all, depending on their performances on the weekend.
This week the Bulldogs regained some lost territory with a ladder up the board, while a whole raft of teams stepped on snakes allowing both the Roosters and Eels to rise above them all.
The results won't match the 2025 NRL competition ladder, but will give an alternative indication of how well each team is travelling.
Last year's finishing order: 1. Storm, 2. Panthers, 3. Roosters, 4. Sharks, 5. Cowboys, 6. Bulldogs, 7. Sea Eagles, 8. Knights, 9. Raiders, 10. Dolphins, 11. Dragons, 12. Broncos, 13. Warriors, 14. Titans, 15. Eels, 16. Rabbitohs, 17. Tigers
1.
Panthers - steady
Penrith journeyed to Newcastle on an eight-game winning streak to take on the Knights. They didn't mess around early, with their forwards crossing for the first two tries with Luke Garner cracking some brittle goal line defence after two minutes. Lindsay Smith was next, cashing in on a popped pass after a dropped bomb three minutes later. There was a break of 20 minutes until Liam Henry put his hand up for a four-pointer. It was all Panthers from that point on, taking a familiar 26-0 lead into the break. Unlike last week against the Titans the Panthers didn't back off in the second half, scoring another four tries to bury the Knights. They did leak a couple of tries, but their march towards a Top 4 finish continued.
2.
Raiders - steady
Canberra hosted the Sea Eagles in near freezing conditions hoping to bounce back from a shock loss to the Dragons last week. After conceding an early try and giving away too much possession, the Green Machine struck back with an Ethan Strange special from short range, snapping Daly Cherry-Evans' ankles with a massive left-foot step. They scored again in the 13th minute through Xavier Savage, going to the break 10-6 up. After the break Manly hit the lead before Strange struck back almost immediately with another near unstoppable run from close range. Not long after Strange had his hat trick after some brilliant work from winger Jed Stuart. With 15 minutes remaining Seb Kris pounced on a loose pass on halfway to streak away and wrap up the win.
3.
Storm - steady
The Storm hosted the Broncos on Thursday night in the biggest game of the round. The Broncos were looking to continue their run towards the Top 4, while the Storm still had their eyes on the minor premiership. The Broncos opened the scoring with a penalty goal after 16 minutes, before Xavier Coates took off downfield five minutes later after intercepting a Broncos pass near his own line. He was knocked into touch as he grounded the ball, but in his wake both Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam were clutching at hamstring injuries that would end their nights. In the 28th minute, Tyran Wishart stepped though the Broncos defence from five metres out to score the first try of the match, nine minutes later it was Ryan Papenhuyzen's turn, shrugging off Jordan Riki. The Storm took a 12-2 to the break and a pair of Xavier Coates tries in the second half, one of them a penalty try, wrapped the game up.
4.
Bulldogs - ladder up 2
The Bulldogs hosted the Warriors on a dark and stormy night, with a couple of big points to prove; that they could beat a Top 8 team and they could do it in any conditions. The Sydney skies provided plenty of testing weather and it was evident early that the Bulldogs had learnt some wet-weather lessons and were going to kick, early, often and for distance. It is much easier to elevate your completion rate when you kick on the third tackle. Viliame Kikau scored the first try with the big edge forward stepping his way past some unsure-footed defenders. Jethro Rinakama crossed in the corner 10 minutes later, before Enari Tuala benefitted from some Stephen Crichton ball work on the other side of the field. The Bulldogs led 20-2 at halftime before tries to Crichton and the double for Tuala cancelled out two second-half Warriors tries.
5.
Broncos - snake down 1
The Broncos flew down to Melbourne to tackle the Storm, full of confidence as they eyed a spot in the Top 4. They opened the scoring with a penalty goal in the 16th minute, but would not trouble the scorer again for the rest of the night. Selwyn Cobbo was able to run down Xavier Coates after an Ezra Mam pass found the Storm flyer, somehow managing to knock his leg into touch at the same time as he grounded the ball. But, the celebrations were short lived as a scene of carnage unfolded downfield which could ruin the Broncos entire season. Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam had both done their hamstrings in the pursuit. Billy Walters came on to play hooker, moving Ben Hunt to halfback and Kotoni Staggs to five-eighth. The hastily cobbled together spine tried its best, but was unable to crack the Storm defence. Disorganised in defence, the Broncos also leaked two tries in each half to lose what was a vital game.
6.
Sharks - snake down 1
The Sharks took the short trip to Kogarah and after conceding an early try, cashed in on a Dragons handling error in the 10th minute, with Braden Hamlin-Uele crashing through for their first try. Cronulla were fortunate to take back the lead when Teig Wilton came down with a bomb but was held up by Tyrell Sloan. The bunker decided that Wilton was tackled in the air and deserved a penalty try. The Sharks couldn't defend that lead allowing two Dragons tries to trail 16-14 at the break. In a dour second half the Dragons scored again to knock the Sharks down a peg with an upset victory.
7.
Eels - ladder up 4
Parramatta hosted the Cowboys on a miserable Sydney evening, with both teams playing for pride. The Eels had the better of the first half behind the kicking game of Mitchell Moses and opened the scoring with a penalty goal. After conceding the first try on 13 minutes, the Eels struck back through a pair of classic Josh Addo-Carr tries, the first diving into the corner, the second winning the race to a grubber kick, to take a 12-8 lead to the break. Early in the second half, Will Penisini added a try to the total, before the Eels clocked off for a period. Two tries in two minutes saw the Cowboys lock the scores at 18-18 with 27 minutes to go. Both teams tried everything they could to break the deadlock before Moses snapped a field goal with under five minutes remaining. The Cowboys scored a try in the final minute, which was overruled for obstruction, after Moses was flattened by a decoy runner.
8.
Roosters - ladder up 4
The Roosters travelled to Brisbane for a crucial clash with the Dolphins and scored the first try after four minutes, with Mark Nawaqanitawase out-leaping the defence to a perfectly placed Sam Walker bomb. The game was firing up and as Nawaqanitawase crossed again four minutes later, a push and shove erupted resulting in four players being sin binned including chief antagonist Spencer Leniu. The Roosters scored three more first-half tries to go to the break with a comfortable 36-6 lead. Into the second half skipper James Tedesco stepped up the intensity, scoring two tries of his own before Nawaqanitawase notched his hat trick and Daniel Tupou brought up a double. The Roosters forwards laid the platform for the massive win, which wasn't quite enough to move them ahead of the Dolphins on for-and-against.
9.
Tigers - steady - bye
10.
Dragons - ladder up 3
The Dragons hosted the Sharks for the local derby in front of a healthy Kogarah crowd, despite the patchy Sydney weather. In the sixth minute prop Emre Guler chased through and grounded a Damien Cook grubber kick for an early 6-0 lead. A dropped ball after a scrum win on their own 10 metre line had the Dragons scrambling and the Sharks levelling the score with their first try. Tyrell Sloan then rose to diffuse a bomb and came down wrapped around Teig Wilton and was penalised for a mid-air tackle with the Sharks given a penalty try to take a 12-6 lead. Fortunately the rugby league gods were watching and the Sharks didn't score another try. The giant-killing Dragons adding another victim, scoring three more tries to seal the well-deserved victory.
11.
Dolphins - snake down 4
The Dolphins hosted the Roosters in front of a handy Suncorp crowd and conceded the first try from a well-placed Sam Walker bomb after only four minutes. Four minutes later the Roosters were in again, with early signs that the Dolphins were not switched on defensively. Tevita Naufahu crossed for the first of his two tries in the 11th minute, but unfortunately for the Dolphins his second didn't come until the 78th minute. In between it was an almost constant procession to the line by Roosters players, with the home side conceding 11 tries in all. The Dolphins had no answers for the Roosters forwards whose dominance allowed Walker, James Tedesco and the rest of the visitors' backs to run wild.
12.
Warriors - snake down 4
The Warriors hopped the ditch to Homebush to take on the Bulldogs with their Top 4 aspirations on a knife's edge. With the rain continuing to tumble down they struggled in the conditions, repeatedly knocked onto the back foot by the Bulldogs' kicking game. They conceded three first-half tries to trail 20-2 at the break. Fourteen minutes into the second half, dummy-half Samuel Healey was able to put through a cheeky grubber kick, furthering the ball with some soccer skills and dive on it for the try. With the game long gone, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck grabbed an intercept just inside his own half to streak away for a consolation try with three minutes remaining. With Penrith's victory over the Knights, the Warriors slipped out of the vital Top 4
13.
Sea Eagles - snake down 3
The Sea Eagles made the long trip down to Canberra on a bone-chilling night to face the Raiders. They shifted the ball early from deep inside their own half in the third minute of the game, sending speedster Tolutau Koula away down the left wing. He put in a centring kick which bounced up perfectly for Tom Trbojevic to score under the posts. Some poor goal line defence allowed the home side to level the scores. Another try put the Raiders ahead before the Sea Eagles failed to take advantage of a mountain of possession and ten minutes of playing with an extra man. Eight minutes into the second half Manly finally broke through with a flat ball to Koula giving him enough space to step his way through the Raiders defence to help put them 12-10 up. They weren't in front for long as they couldn't stop Ethan Strange for scoring two more tries. Jazz Tavanga threw a loose pass on halfway for another Raiders try, with 15 minutes remaining.
14.
Rabbitohs - ladder up 3
The Rabbitohs arrived on the Gold Coast with a Latrell Mitchell-shaped surprise up their sleeves. Latrell was back and it took less than two minutes for him to chime into the backline, sending his good mate Alex Johnston over once again in the corner. Minutes later he hit Jayden Campbell as he was about to ground the ball, knocking it loose and saving a try. There was nothing Latrell could do about the next try as a flick pass sent Jaylan De Groot over in the corner after 10 minutes. The Titans scored again three minutes later before a Bayleigh Bentley-Hape try and two penalty goals saw Souths go to the break up 14-12. The Bunnies withstood enormous pressure for the first 20 minutes of the second half before a bomb hoisted from the Titans 40 metre line was taken out of the air by Latrell on the 20 metre line before he flicked a long pass to Johnston who stepped his way through the defence to score and extend the visitor's lead to 20-12. The Titans scored again with 15 minutes to go, but the Rabbitohs were able to hold on for the win.
15.
Cowboys - snake down 1
The Cowboys rode into Parramatta to take on the Eels and crossed for the first try of the evening through Jaxon Purdue in the 13th minute. They went to the break 12-8 down after conceding two tries to the home side. Another Eels try after halftime looked ominous, with the threat of another Cowboys capitulation looming. But the visitors dug in and levelled the scores at 18-18 with a try to Braidon Burns and a second to Purdue. The final 20 minutes were fiercely contested by both teams until a Mitchell Moses field goal broke the deadlock with four minutes remaining. The Cowboys worked their way downfield thanks to several Eels errors and looked to have won the game with a Scott Drinkwater try. But the bunker took a look and ruled that Moses had been obstructed by a decoy runner.
16.
Titans - snake down 1
The Titans hosted the Rabbitohs and surprise inclusion Latrell Mitchell. Mitchell threw the final pass for the Rabbitohs' first try, sending Alex Johnston over. Minutes later Titans half Jayden Campbell stepped his way through the Rabbitohs defence and casually jogged around behind the posts. Before he could ground it, Mitchell caught him and smacked at his arm, knocking the ball loose and encapsulating the entire Titans season in one play. Ten minutes into the first half Jaylan De Groot dived over in the corner after a brilliant, if slightly forward, flick pass from Jojo Fifita. Beau Fermor crossed three minutes later, but another Souths try and a couple of penalty goals saw the visitors lead 14-12 at the break. The Titans conceded another try after the break, before Sam Verrills made it interesting with a try 15 minutes from fulltime. As much as they tried, the Titans could not crack the Rabbitohs defence again.
17.
Knights - snake down 1
Newcastle hosted the Panthers under threatening skies, fresh from a bye week. They didn't start well allowing two tries to Panthers forwards in the opening five minutes. They managed a period of arm wrestling with the premiers before another Panthers forward scored followed by one each to the Penrith wingers. they trudged off in front of their unimpressed home crowd trailing 26-0 at the break. The Knights may have been reminded in the sheds that the Titans almost fought back to beat the Panthers the previous week after being down by that exact score. They conceded another try three minutes into the second half, before mounting their fightback with two tries in five minutes to Mat Croker and Jermaine McEwen. Sadly, that is where the resistance ended with the Panthers crossing for three more tries to complete the thumping.